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She swallows. "I was on a strip of road where there’s not much traffic when it happened. Then, another car crowded me, so I had no choice but to take the next turn.
"I realized I was near your nonna's house, so when I reached it, I slammed on the brakes, jumped out, and raced toward the front door, hoping to get help. I’m sorry I wasn't thinking. I just knew I was in danger, and that someone here would be able to help me, but then the gunshots rang out and—" She bites down on her lower lip and a shudder grips her shoulders.
So, there was more than one car following her?Cristo Santo!My stomach knots. A ball of emotion hooks its claws into my throat.Why am I unable to see her in distress? My fingers tingle. I want to reach for her, hold her close and calm her down, and promise her nothing like this will ever happen to her again. Except, we are theCosa Nostra,and I’m an integral part of it. Our lives are always at risk from our enemies, and so are our family’s and friends’. It’s the price we pay for the path we follow. It’s a lesson I learned early.
It’s why I swore to never get married… Until Nonna made me promise otherwise earlier.Cazzo!I tuck my elbows into my sides and try to wipe all expression off my face.
"Looks like she was coerced into coming to the house." Massimo leans forward on the balls of his feet. "Whoever was in those cars knew where we were and wanted her to come to us."
"What about the guards?" Luca asks in a hard voice. "How do you explain them being knocked out so you could get past them and to the door?"
She bites down on her lower lip, and hell, if I don’t want to go over and pull out her lip from under her teeth and bite down on it myself. I take a step toward her, then stop myself. Luca has a point. Why were the guards knocked out before she came on the scene? Something doesn't fit.
She glances at me, and I want to nod in encouragement, but I stop myself. If she had anything to do with Nonna being shot... But no, that makes no sense at all. It's a coincidence, is all. But I want to hear it from her.
"I..." she tips up her chin, "I don’t know why they were knocked out, to be honest. I didn't see anyone as I ran through the gates."
"—which had been left open." Luca widens his stance.
"Whoever steered her in our direction made sure to remove all obstacles from her course," Adrian muses.
I whip my head in his direction. "You think she was set up?"
"By someone who knew where we all were, and who counted on Seb recognizing her and letting her in," Massimo completes my train of thought.
Luca, Massimo, Adrian, and I exchange glances.
"Cazzo!"I drag my fingers through my hair. "This means there's someone inside our clan who is sharing information. Someone who knew we'd all be here under one roof. Or someone overheard Theresa's conversation with her."
Elsa hunches her shoulders. "I… I’m really sorry I burst in on you guys, sorry that I brought the gunmen to your doorstep, sorry that Nonna was hurt. If I could do it all over again, I wouldn't stop at Nonna’s house, but continue on to the shop—"
"And he'd have shot at you as you entered the shop, if he hadn’t pushed you off the road, forced you out of your car, and put a gun to your head." I dig my fingernails into the palm of my hand. My stomach churns.Porca miseria, she could have been killed. She almostwaskilled.
"You should have never left home today," I say through gritted teeth. "You should have stayed in bed. That way, all of this could have been avoided."
"Excuse me," she snaps. Color rises on her cheeks, she juts out her chin, and scowls at me. "You don’t tell me how to live my life, mister. No one does. I am my own person, and I’ve worked hard to build my life exactly the way I like it, and—"
Someone clears their throat and we all turn.
5
Elsa
My phone vibrates in my pocket; I slide it out and glance at it. At the same time, the surgeon in his blood splattered scrubs looks between us. Seb moves toward him, followed by his brothers. The doctor speaks with them in a low tone as I move to the side to check the message.
I need to leave soon Elsa. When will you be back?
I’ll be there within the hour. Can you hold on until then?I text back, then pocket the phone and glance up to find Seb’s gaze on me. His features are pale; his eyes are dead. It looks like he’s lost his best friend in the world… Or his nonna.
Oh no, no, no.I press my knuckles to my mouth and move toward him. I brush past the other men who are standing around with shellshocked expressions on their faces. I reach him, close the distance between us, and wrap my arms around him. His entire body feels as if it’s frozen, his muscles locked in place. A palpable sense of disbelief emanates from him. I glance up to find his gaze fixed on a point in the distance.
"Seb?" I whisper. "Sebastian?
When he doesn’t reply, I stand up on tiptoes and press my lips onto the strip of skin exposed between the lapels of his shirt.
A shudder runs through him and his shoulders bunch. He glances down at me, and my breath catches. That light in his amber eyes is gone, replaced by a darkness that both frightens me, and beckons me. His skin is pale and the hollows under his cheekbones seem to have become even more pronounced. I guess this is what a forsaken angel looks like. He’s looking at me like he doesn’t actually see me, yet he’d reacted to my touch, so I know that he feels me.
"Seb," I swallow, "are you okay?" My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I wince.
